Editor's note: Gloria Borger is CNN's chief political analyst, appearing regularly on shows such as "AC360˚" "The Situation Room," "John King USA" and "State of the Union."

(CNN) - No doubt about it, the Republican presidential candidates are reaching a critical point: It's less than one month before the Iowa caucuses. A majority of GOP voters - and Iowa caucus-goers - say they could still change their minds. The president has thrown down the gauntlet on tax cuts for the middle class, and the GOP needs to speak with one voice in response. It's decision time, and there are real questions that need to be answered with clarity.

soundoff(42 Responses)

Ringling Brother's Barnum & Bailey have nothing on this group of clowns.

December 7, 2011 12:20 pm at 12:20 pm |

linell ela, Winter Park, FL

The GOP candidates remind me of a car full of clowns all doing stupid tricks.

December 7, 2011 12:25 pm at 12:25 pm |

Sniffit

"BORGER: Is GOP race turning into a circus?"

Have you been sleeping for the past 6 months? This thing STARTED as a circus. The election of a black dude to POTUS kicked the anthill and they've been freaking out and inconsolable ever since. Besides, everyone knows the GOP loves to talk about having a "big tent", i.e., Big Top. Maybe we can give their nominee a Giant Tootsie Roll as a consolation prize next November...just like Bozo used to do when some poor kid couldn't shoot a 30 foot jump shot with a ping pong ball into a shot glass.

December 7, 2011 12:26 pm at 12:26 pm |

Al-NY,NY

send in the clowns.....oh wait. They're already here

December 7, 2011 12:27 pm at 12:27 pm |

Wire Palladin, S. F.

It began as a circus, but now, it is a zoo.

December 7, 2011 12:30 pm at 12:30 pm |

rs

Borger- Too late. It has been a Circus since people like Bachmann, Cain and Perry got in.

December 7, 2011 12:32 pm at 12:32 pm |

once upon a horse

I have voted Republican in the past when I thought they had the better option, but normally support the Democrats here and I have to say what has happened to the GOP is a real SHAME. They offer little to nothing but bashing Obama and now some are pandering to the likes of Donald Trump, focusing more on social issues instead of what we really need to focus on, and kissing Tea Party behind. And the even sadder thing to me is...they just might WIN in 2012 if more Americans don't open their eyes and see what they have to offer. A more serious candidate like Jon Huntsman is called a RINO and cast aside for the likes of a Newt Gingrinch. Pitiful!

December 7, 2011 12:34 pm at 12:34 pm |

Rudy NYC

The entire RNC has been in chaos since Aug. 2008, when Barack Obama was confirmed as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Within a week we met both Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. The Republican field of candidates is a natural outgrowth of the uproar that the nomination and election of the nation's first black American as POTUS. I think circus is too kind of a term, but is a politically correct one to use.

December 7, 2011 12:34 pm at 12:34 pm |

Donkey Party

Where have you been Gloria? It's well passed the simple "circus" comparison. We Dems call it "Cirque du So Lame".

December 7, 2011 12:35 pm at 12:35 pm |

Independent Voters

The Gop is a bunch of goofy clowns and they need to resign from the circus

December 7, 2011 12:35 pm at 12:35 pm |

WiredweirdinSF

If it is turning in to a circus, it won't be from the lack of CNN Political Ticker and the other Obama controlled media trying. It would really be nice to see something critical about Obama every once in a while here, there is so much, but you will never see it in the Ticker or the other democrat liberal controlled media.

December 7, 2011 12:36 pm at 12:36 pm |

Four and The Door

The three ring circus was Washington DC from 2009 – 2011: The Obama Administration on the left flanked by the Reid Senate on the left and The Pelosi House even farther on the left. Unfortunately all the audience saw were jugglers dropping the ball and the price of admission reaching levels never known before.

Of course there is a lot of scrambling by the top Republican candidates. Any one of them ( except I wonder about Ron Paul ) who, if nominated will beat Obama an be the President starting in 2013. Sure Gingrich has been around and has some baggage. Who cares? American voters care less and less about personal attacks and will go with someone who can make sense with a strategy and provide some leadership out of this mess. Obama is not that guy.

December 7, 2011 12:37 pm at 12:37 pm |

Expat American

The GOP race began as a circus. Now it’s just a carnival freak show. By New Hampshire and Iowa, the bearded Lady and the Yak Boy are going to toss their hats into the ring….after Sarah Palin and O’Donnell announce their dual-candidacy.

December 7, 2011 12:41 pm at 12:41 pm |

Wire Palladin, S. F.

Why do crazy right wingnuts think that the same republican party who almost destroyed our country will be able to get us out of the republican economic mess? For over thirty years, the GOP has lacked leadership, and this GOP clown act is not the answer.

December 7, 2011 12:43 pm at 12:43 pm |

Rudy NYC

Four and The Door wrote:

The three ring circus was Washington DC from 2009 – 2011:
-------------
You may be more correct than you think. The Republican leaders in Congress had, (and still do have), much better name recognition because they controlled the national discussion on every topic. Not a day didn't go by when you didn't see Boehner, McConnell, Cantor, or Kyl on the evening news. One of them appeared on the Sunday talks shows at 2 or 3 times a month.

Republicans and the Tea Party have been the stars of the DC Revue since Jan. 20, 2009.

December 7, 2011 12:44 pm at 12:44 pm |

geg

one guy made it easy to ship jobs overseas–the other guy made millions shipping them–clown show yes

December 7, 2011 12:47 pm at 12:47 pm |

Wire Palladin, S. F.

You know what is weird? It is a right wingnut who thinks that American owned and American run media (like CNN, CBS, CSpan, ABC, NBC, PBS, MSNBC, etc) are controlled by president Obama. One has to be pretty low on the food chain to think that.

December 7, 2011 12:48 pm at 12:48 pm |

Jeff in TX

I know many good, solid Republicans who are quite dismayed by this mess. Thing is, many of even the thoughtful ones will take virtually any Republican over Obama. It's a sad state for the Nation. Trump is so full of himself, it's disgusting. And now he has his lap dog in Newt. Kudos to Ron Paul, John Huntsman and Mitt Romney for refusing to debase themselves.

December 7, 2011 12:51 pm at 12:51 pm |

Wire Palladin, S. F.

I wonder how the foreign owned media (Fox) is reporting on the GOP freak show. I'll bet they will try to distract every right wingnut from these idiots, by saying there is now a war on Christmas.

December 7, 2011 12:52 pm at 12:52 pm |

Dominican mama 4 Obama

Sniffit and Rudy nailed it.
All it took for the GOP to lose its' collective mind was the election of our nation's first Black president. You can try to paint it a different color but it won't change the facts.
The GOP circus clowns are no longer funny. They have morphed into freaks leaving children and adults alike scared, and bewildered.
Obama 2012. Seriously America.

December 7, 2011 12:56 pm at 12:56 pm |

Lynda/Minnesota

When hasn't it been a circus?

December 7, 2011 12:57 pm at 12:57 pm |

carmelle

To be fair to the GOP, I think it's more honest to say "The tea party TURNED the republican party into a circus crew" and now we are watching their show, as stated by another here, it's "Cirque du So Lame"

December 7, 2011 12:58 pm at 12:58 pm |

American

Huh? It's been a circus.

December 7, 2011 01:00 pm at 1:00 pm |

stevie

I remember the circus between Obama and the Clintons in 2008. What an adolescent dog and pony show that was. It was really forshadowing of the Obama administration.

December 7, 2011 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |

Four and The Door

Wire Palladin, S. F.
Why do crazy right wingnuts think that the same republican party who almost destroyed our country will be able to get us out of the republican economic mess?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Barney Frank is a Democrat and single-handedly ( with full support from Democrats in the Senate and the House ) created the conditions that resulted in the mortgage meltdown. His grand plan of course fed lots of greed on Wall Street but was a reckless miscalculation about how the economy works. Thank goodness he is soon gone.